Method for packing and handling material

ABSTRACT

A method and means is provided for handling material from a source for the material to a point of use by employing stackable, open top, bulk bins, having a false bottom, for packing the material at the source so that stacked groups of the packed bins can be delivered to the point of use and utilized separately there to present the packed material for removal and use, while manipulating the false bottom to maintain remaining packed material continually available at a top bin level.

United States Patent [1 1 Angermeier et a1.

[ Nov. 26, 1974 METHOD FOR PACKING AND HANDLING MATERIAL [76] Inventors:William R. Angermeier; Benjamin Gary Wofford, c/o Industrial Design,Inc., 5018 Park Rd., Charlotte, NC. 28209 [22] Filed: Oct. 30, 1972 [21]Appl. No.: 301,824

[52] US. Cl. 53/35, 214/152 [51] Int. Cl B65b 1/00, B65b 69/00 [58]Field of Search 53/26, 35, 162, 163;

2,506,661 5/1950 Busse 53/163 X 2,796,179 6/1957 3,120,249 2/1964 Keene53/163 X 3,509,688 5/1970 Hartbauer et al 53/163 Primary Examiner-RobertL. Spruill Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Richards, Shefte & Pinckney [5 7ABSTRACT A method and means is provided for handling material from asource for the material to a point of use by employing stackable, opentop, bulk bins, having a false bottom, for packing the material at thesource so that stacked groups of the packed bins can be delivered to thepoint of use and utilized separately there to present the packedmaterial for removal and use, while manipulating the false bottom tomaintain remaining packed material continually available at a top binlevel.

2 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures WWW SHEEI 10F 3 MJA ilJLllL Fig-$ AW L/L/lUM UM L/L/ L/L/A WWL/L/A METHOD FOR PACKING AND HANDLING MATERIALBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Whenever material must be delivered from asource to a point of use, it is desirable that the delivery be effectedwith the least possible manual handling of the material and that thedelivered material be made available for use with the least possibleneed to rearrange it for that purpose. But because the delivery oftenrequires shipment for considerable distances and may also requireintermediate warehousing, and because a the material involved may beperishable or fragile or both, or may be intended for supplying aconverting operation so as to be delivered best in bulk form, the matterof minimizing manual handling and eliminating burdensome rehandling insuch situations is a persistent problem that has generated a number ofprior art proposals of special systems for expediting materialshandling. An example is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,578,184. Also, a gooddeal of effort has been devoted to the development of stackable andnestable container designs adapted for various material handling andstorage purposes, as illustrated by US. Pat. Nos. 2,939,607, 3,270,913and 3,326,410.

The present invention provides a materials handling system that utilizessuch stackable containers to move materials from source to point of usewithout any direct handling of the materials between packing at thesource and removal at the point of use, and thereby substantiallyreduces handling costs while allowing delivery and use ofthe materialsin a particularly effective and advantageous manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Generally characterized, the materials handlingsystem of the present invention employs a method comprising the steps ofpacking. the material involved at the source thereof in stackable, opentop, bulk containers or bins, having a false bottom, stacking the packedbins and delivering the same in stacked groups to the point of use, andemploying the delivered bins separately thereat to present the packedmaterial for removal and use while periodically raising the false binbottom to maintain the remaining packed material continually availableat a top bin level.

The stackable bins used have a unit pack capacity greater than wlllreasonably permit a packed bin to be handled manually, and they areaccordingly formed specially for mechanical handling during stacking,delivery, and employment at point of use. The mechanical handling atpoint of use is done on a mobile base incorporating jack meansselectively operable for raising the false bottom with which the binsare equipped as noted above.

The system thus provided is well suited, for example, to handle freshproduce from packer to point of retail sale, as the stackable binsemployed are adapted for displaying produce packed therein for salewithout any rehandling of the produce whatever. Similarly, any othermerchandise that is packed for sale at retail can be handledadvantageously in the same way. Also, there are a variety of instanceswhere a converting operation is to be supplied, as where garment piecesare to be transferred from a cutting plant to a sewing room,

in which the system of the present invention can be used to lessen thehandling burden materially.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partial side elevation of atruck or truck trailer carrying a stacked load of packed bulk bins andillustrating a method of unloading (or loading) the same;

FIG. 2 is a similar side elevation showing the un loaded bulk bins beingstacked for warehousing or the like;

FIG. 3 is a further side elevation showing one of the bulk bins beingplaced on a mobile base for presenting the packed contents therein at apoint of use;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a group of the packed bulk bins arrangedat a point of use;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the type of bulk bin employed according tothe present invention, which is partially sectioned to illustrate betterthe stacking socket structure at 55 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view corresponding to FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an end view as seen from the left in FIGS. 5 and 6;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a suitable form of mobile base for the bulkbins; and

FIG. 9 is a side elevation corresponding to FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The drawings illustrate arepresentative use of the present invention to provide a system fordistributing fresh produce from packer to point of retail sale. Thus, inFIG. 1 a load of stacked bulk bins 10 arranged in a truck or trucktrailer 12 is indicated, with a fork lift unit 14 being employed tounload or load the same as the case may be. The bulk bins 10 are ofthestackable and nestable type, as will be noted in greater detail furtherbelow, and they are proportioned to hold a unit pack of suitable sizefor direct retail display. The unit pack capacity is consequentlygreater than will reasonably permit a packed bin to be handled manually,and the bins 10 are accordingly formed with skid legs, as will appearmore fully presently, so that they may be me chanically handled with afork lift unit 14 or the like.

The FIG. 1 illustration is intended to indicate the handling of adelivery at a supermarket or other point of retail sale, where a loadingdock is often not available. When this is so the fork lift unit 14 isbrought to the back of the truck 12 at ground level and used to removethe stacked bins 10 at the tail end of the truck directly, while a muleis employed to shift the other bins 10 in the load successively to theback of the truck for similar removal. As the bins 10 are removed fromthe truck 12, any that are not to be put on display immediately may bestacked in the refrigeratorroom or other storage area of the supermarketuntil ready for use, as indicated in FIG. 2. A bin 10 that is to beplaced on display, either from storage or from the load delivered bytruck 12, is handled as shown in FIG. 3 by the fork lift unit 14 tolower it onto a mobilebase 16 for arrangement in the selling area eitheralone or, in a suitable grouping such as is illustrated in FIG. 4.

The fork lift unit 14 is preferably a power lift fitted with an adequatewheel suspension for manual pushing and capable of sufficient heightextension for truck unloading from a normal height allowing it to bemanipu lated readily in the selling area whenever desired. For example,it may be desirable to bring the packed bins into the selling area onthe fork lift unit 14 for placing on the mobile bases 16, rather thanwheeling the latter to the unloading or storage areas for this purpose.In any event, the system is much more flexible if provi sion is made foreither possibility.

If the FIG. 1 supermarket delivery is made from a ,local warehouse, thetruck 12 will normally be of the intracity transfer type, while ashipment received direct from the packer or at the warehouse is apt tocome in an over-the-road trailer type carrier. Any supermarket orwarehouse designed to receive over-the-road shipments is pretty certainto have a loading dock, and in such instances the fork lift unit 14 maybe used directly at the level of the truck or trailer bed to remove thestacked bins 10 without requiring the bin-shifting assistance of amule." The same sort of fork lift unit 14 may be used at the warehousefor both unloading and reloading for local distribution, although amotorized unit is apt to be needed at a warehouse or a packing plant atwhich the bins 10 are packed and shipped initially. In any case, thesystem illustrated allows the produce to be packed and shipped initiallyin form for effective delivery and display at the point of sale withoutany rehandling of the packed produce other than in the unit pack lotscontained by the bins 10.

The type of bulk bin 10 employed in practicing the present invention isdetailed in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 of the drawings. As shown, the bins 10 havepairs of opposed side walls 18 and 20 and opposed end walls 22 and 24,all of which slope inwardly from top to bottom. In each bin wall, and toeach side of the bin center lines (see FIG. 6), outwardly formedvertical sections 26-40 are provided that taper in lateral extent fromtop to bottom of the walls 18-24. These vertical sections 26-40 presentinwardly facing, downwardly tapering channels at the bin interior, andhave gusset-braced, horizontal lip portions 42 extending integrallytherebetween and from the top of the bin walls 18-24 to complete arectangular peripheral configuration at the open top of bin The binwalls 18-24 also depend below a bin bottom wall 44 sufficiently toprovide skid legs that are formed by discontinuous, gusset-braced wallportions 46-60 that remain after notching the bin walls below bottomwall 44, as at 62 (see FIGS. 5 and 7), to accommodate fork lift arms.The notching 62 is arranged in relation to the outwardly formed wallsections 26-40 so that the remaining skid leg portions 46-60 eachinclude at least one 90 bend about a vertical axis. In addition, thehorizontal lip portions 42 at the,open top periphery of bin 10 havestacking sockets formed therein by grooves 46-60' that likewise bend 90for receiving and horizontally interlocking with portions of the skidlegs 46-60 when the bins 10 are stacked. Stacking of the bins 10 iseffected by turning the bin 10 that is to be stacked 180 with respect tothe bin 10 on which it is to be supported and setting the skid leg 46 ofthe stacked bin 10 in the stacking socket 46' of the supporting bin 10while likewise placing the remaining skid formed therein for a purposethat will appear presently, and that the bottom wall face at the bininterior has a raised grid of ribbing 64 formed thereat to strengthen itabout the openings 44. Also, as will likewise appear more fully below,the bins 10 are provided with a false bottom that is substantiallycoextensive with the bottom wall 44 and is not attempted to be shown inFIGS. 5, 6 and 7, although it should be noticed in FIG. 6 that apertures66 formed in each corner lip portion 42 at the bin top are paired withlike apertures 66' at the corners of bottom wall 44 to serve asanchoring points for slack wire retaining means (not shown) by which thefalse bottom is held against separation from the bin 10.

As mentioned earlier, the bins 10 are fitted with a false bottom so thatit may be raised selectively as the bin contents are removed to maintainthe remaining bin contents continually available at a top bin level. Toprovide for such raising of the false bottom, the mobile bases 16 onwhich the bins 10 are arranged for display are equipped with jack meansas illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, in which the bases 16 are seen to beenclosed at the sides by a surrounding skirt 68 havinga recessedplatform portion 70 adjacent its top edge for supporting a bin 10 placedthereat as indicated in broken lines. Below this platform portion 70,mounting ribs 72 extend vertically at the inner faces of skirt 68 forinstalling it on the base frame structure which comprises a pair oflongitudinal, angle-shaped, stringers 74 carried in spaced relation atthe central portion of transverse channels 76 located adjacent the endsof base 16 and on which casters 78 are mounted to render the basemobile.

Preferably the casters 78 are of theswivel type and incorporate sidelocks that may be set to prevent shifting once the display arrangementof a supporting bin has been selected. The skirt mounting ribs 72 arespaced in alignment with both the stringers 74 and the transversechannels 76, those ribs 72 aligned at the ends of stringers 74 beingsecured to the upstanding flanges thereof by bolts, as at 72, while theremaining ribs 72 simply bear at their lower ends on the transversechannels 74 to brace the skirt 68 further against the load of asupported bin.

The previously mentioned jack means incorporated in the bases 16 isarranged between the spaced stringers 74 and is powered, in theillustrated embodiment, by an hydraulic jack unit 80 of the sort oftenemployed for automotive vehicles. For any application in which the bins10 would be employed adjacent a source of compressed air the jackingcould obviously be powered from this source instead. The jack unit 80 isfixed in place at its base on a bracket 82 that is secured at the lowerfaces of the stringers 74 to position the jack ram in bearing relationat a roll member 84 having extending stub ends 86 that ride in elongatedhorizontal slots 88 formed in the upstanding flanges of stringers 74. Inaddition, these stub ends 86 carry spacing washers 90 immediately insidethe stringers 74, serve adjacently as the end pivot point for links 92of an extensible scissors linkage, and further engage one end of a pullbar 94.

The spacing washers 90 position the links 92 for arrangement in crossingrelation at a central pivot 96 with second links 98 having their remotelower ends carried at fixed pivots 100 on the stringers 74. The scissorslinkage is completed by a further set of links 102 and 104 pivoted atthe upper ends of links 92 and 98 and crossing at a central pivot 106,with the links 102 extending to carry a supporting roll at 108 beneath ajacking plate 110 that has the other links 104 assembled therewith inspaced supporting relation at fixed pivots 112. The pull bar 94 extendsto a second exactly corresponding scissor linkage incorporatingcounterpart elements designated by the reference numerals 84'-1l2 so asto cause simultaneous actuation of the same from the jack unit 80.

The controls for the jack unit 80 consist of an actuator arm 114 and arelease rod 116. A slotted bracket 118 is arranged at the bottom of oneof the frame stringers 74 so that the actuator arm 114 extendstherethrough to have its operating throw between the full and brokenline positions in FIG. 8 determined by the length of the bracket slot.Operation of the actuator arm 114 between these positions results in apumping action within the hydraulic system of thejack unit 80 causingextension of the jack ram to force roll 84, as well as roll 84' throughpull bar 94, to the right in FIGS. 8 and 9 with consequent elevation ofthe jacking plates 110 and 110 by thus required motion of the respectivescissors linkages as representatively illustrated by dotted lines inFIG. 9. The release rod 116 is provided for alternative operation toopen a check valve in the'jack unit hydraulic system'that relieves thejacking pressure so that the scissors linkages are allowed to collapseand return the jacking plates 110 and 110 to their normal loweredposition by gravity.

The jacking plates 110 and 110 are proportioned horizontally forelevation through openings 70 in the platform portion 70 of base skirt68, which correspond in size with the openings 44 provided in the binbottom wall 44 and register substantially therewith when a bin 10 is setin place on a base 16. Accordingly, upon continued elevation of jackingplates 110 and 110, after they have passed through the base platformopenings 70', they will likewise pass through the bottom wall openings44' of a supported bin 10 to raise the previously mentioned false bottomtherein, as indicated in broken lines at 120 in FIG. 9, for the earliernoted pur-.

pose of maintaining the bin contents readily available at a top binlevel.

It will be recognized that when a packed bin 10 supported on a base 16is arranged for retail display or other use the arrangement should besuch as to provide access to the base 16 at the side to which the jackunit actuator arm 114 and release rod 116 extend, but 0th erwise thearrangement may be selected to suit particular conditions with greatflexibility and the jacking means is easily used to maintain the bincontents at a top level. In the latter connection it is also notablethat when fresh produce is being handled a slight initial jacking can beemployed to raise the bin false bottom just enough to project theproduce above the bin top for an appearance of attractive fullness as isgenerally indicated in FIG. 4.

As the bins 10 are nestable, as well as stackable, they are readilycollected when empty and returned for reuse, so that once the system ofthe present invention is installed with enough bins for cycling betweensource and point of use, handling of the material involved is greatlyexpedited at lowered handling costs.

The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes ofillustration only and is not intended to be limited by this descriptionor otherwise to exclude any variation or equivalent arrangement thatwould be apparent from, or reasonably suggested by, the foregoingdisclosure to the skill of the art.

We claim:

1. The method of handling material from a source for the material to apoint of use, which method comprises the steps of packing said materialat said source in stackable, open top, bulk bins, having a false bottomincorporated in a bottom structure allowing access for mechanicalhandling of said bins as a stacked group or individually in adding themto or removing them from a stacked group, stacking the packed bins atsaid source for shipment, delivering the stacked bins to said point ofuse, and employing the delivered bins separately at said point of use ondisplay stands incorporating ajacking mechanism to present the packedmaterial for removal and use while periodically raising said falsebottom by said display stand jacking mechanism to maintain remainingpacked material available at a top a bin level, said bins beingseparately handled mechani

1. The method of handling material from a source for the material to apoint of use, which method comprises the steps of packing said materialat said source in stackable, open top, bulk bins, having a false bottomincorporated in a bottom structure allowing access for mechanicalhandling of said bins as a stacked group or individually in adding themto or removing them from a stacked group, stacking the packed bins atsaid source for shipment, delivering the stacked bins to said point ofuse, and employing the delivered bins separately at said point of use ondisplay stands incorporating a jacking mechanism to present the packedmaterial for removal and use while periodically raising said falsebottom by said display stand jacking mechanism to maintain remainingpacked material available at a top bin level, said bins being separatelyhandled mechanically for stacking at said source and employment at saidpoint of use while being handled mechanically as a stacked group betweensaid source and point of use whereby manual handling of the packedmaterial is required only during packing thereof at said source.
 2. Themethod defined in claim 1 wherein said material is fresh produce, saidsource for the material is a packing plant, and said point of use is aretail sales outlet.